Vegas is Dying (A Croft & Croft Romance Adventure Book 2) Read online

  “Certainly.”

  They moved to the payphone and he dialed. After leaving the information, he hung up. “Can I have my money now?”

  “Here you go.”

  The older man grinned like he had hit the lottery. “Hey, you said fifty. This is a hundred!”

  “You did really well. Now let’s take you across town and you can meet up with your friend and celebrate.”

  “Can we swing by the liquor store?” he inquired, hopefully. “It’s rude to show up without a gift.” His laughter filled the air.

  There was that feeling of guilt at what was coming. “Don’t you know that alcoholism is a disease?”

  Again, he laughed more. “I live on the streets. Being an alcoholic is the least of my problems.” He was thrilled by his new good fortune and didn’t care what anyone said.

  One hundred bucks was a lot of tequila!

  “I’m parked over here.”

  He followed into the alley, not even questioning it. It was too bad he didn't see the claw hammer sitting on the floor of the driver’s side or the evil smirk plastered across the killer’s face.

  * * *

  Emma waited until the ME was finished with the autopsy before she began her barrage of questions. She’d found that when working with Steele Bentley, if you let him get his job done, when he was finished, he’d give you all that you needed.

  It was just how he rolled.

  Emma watched him removing organs from the woman, and the sensation of blood seeping back up her hands and body was returning. It had lessened since marrying Greyson, but it still lived in her and occasionally reared its ugly head.

  God, she couldn’t wait until he was home. She missed him so damn much it made her almost want to weep.

  “Okay, I have your cause of death.”

  She was ready for him.

  “It was a strike to the back of the head. That’s the only damage to her body, other than the missing eyes, the extracted ears, and the mouth being stitched shut.”

  “Did she have anything shoved down her larynx?”

  “Nothing. I would have bet big money on there being something sewn into her mouth, but once more a killer has surprised and shocked me.”

  Emma snickered. “Yeah, well, when in Vegas…”

  Doctor Bentley nodded. “The strike to her head was pretty hard. I’m going to say by the impression in her skull, it looks like a perfect circle. Once the team checks it out, I’ll get back to you on that.”

  “Are you thinking that it was a hammer?”

  “Yeah, that’s my first guess. Also, her eyes weren’t done skillfully. He crammed something down into the socket to pop them out, and then the nerves that connected them were torn. He did it fast and without much care.”

  “Great. We have a killer without a conscience. Who would have guessed?” Emma stood. “When will we have tox?”

  He began cleaning his tools as the body was prepped to be returned to the cooler. “Not until tomorrow morning. We’re backlogged. We swabbed her for DNA, but that can take up to a week.”

  “What? Damn, that’s a long time.”

  He stared at her oddly. “You thought we’d get it back tomorrow? Who do you think we are? The Feds?”

  It was one more thing she took for granted when it came to her husband. Their lab moved so much quicker. What she wouldn’t do for that luxury right now!

  “Did it look like she was assaulted?” Emma inquired, ignoring his question.

  “No, if she had sex, it was consensual. We’ll have to wait to see if we get any swimmers back.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” Before she could continue, her phone began to ring. Emma looked down and saw that it was her partner. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’s Brynn.”

  He nodded, observing the woman. She’d managed to sit through the entire autopsy, and that was impressive. He liked Emma a great deal. Detective Croft seemed to understand him and the rules of his show.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  Over the phone came her partner’s voice. “We have another body. Someone called in a dead woman and beat cops just reported in that it matches our first victim.”

  “Crap, already?”

  “Tell the ME to get moving. We’re all heading back out. I’ll swing around and meet you out front in five minutes.”

  Emma hung up the phone. “We have another body, Doc. It looks like we’re not done yet today.”

  As if timed perfectly, his phone also began chiming. “There’s the address. I’ll meet you there.”

  She nodded, heading out of autopsy and past the techs that had already began to mill around in preparation for the next woman.

  “I can’t believe we have two bodies in eight hours. Now, I remember why I burned out in Philly,” she muttered, racing through the glass doors to wait for her partner out in the comforting sunlight.

  Pulling up to the scene, there was nothing but complete and total chaos. There were people in the neighborhood milling around, gossiping, panicking and on the verge of some mutiny. They wanted answers, and they wanted them now.

  Unfortunately, it didn't work that way. Rarely did a killer leave a signed confession on the body. Emma had to give credit to the street cops for doing the best they could to keep everyone calm and away from the victim.

  “What do we have?” she inquired, walking towards the line with her partner. Both women were snapping on their gloves and getting ready to see what was stashed in the dumpster.

  “We have a young Caucasian vic. I’d say she’s around twenty. Her lips and eyes match this morning’s call.”

  Emma was ready for it as she approached the dumpster.

  “Need a lift up, Detective?” asked one of the beat uniforms.

  “Yeah, thanks,” she said as he cupped his hands and lifted her to look over the side of the large container.

  “Well?” asked Brynn from the ground. It occurred to her that no one ever offered to lift her up. Then, she saw the way the cop was wiggling his eyebrow at his partner. This was obviously the highlight of his day.

  “Same deal. When the ME gets here, he’s going to have to go dumpster diving. So are a few uniforms. We need it searched for evidence.”

  Not one cop was going to volunteer for that job.

  “You,” Brynn stated, pointing at the man who had offered her partner a lift. “Both of you are going for a little dive. Get ready.”

  “Why us?”

  This was going to give her great pleasure. “Because you were so willing to check out my partner’s ass, that I figured you didn't mind a little extra work too.”

  The both muttered.

  Emma offered her partner a high five. “Good one there, Brynn.”

  “We girls have to stick together.”

  Just then, the ME and a big black vehicle rolled up together at the same time.

  “Oh hell,” muttered Detective Westmore. “We’re screwed.”

  Emma didn't know what she was talking about, until she glanced over to see her boss storming the scene. The captain only left his office for media coverage, to chew someone a new asshole, or to head to the commissioner’s office. This didn't bode well for either of them.

  “Sir,” she said as he came to a stop in front of her.

  “Is it the same MO, Croft?” he snapped, looking all stirred up. “Do we have two victims in one day from the same nutjob?”

  Emma could only tell him what she knew. “It appears so.”

  The man let out a string of profanities and other colorful words to describe the situation.

  Neither woman spoke, not out of fear, but out of not wanting the man to give himself a stroke. His face was already bright red and that meant he was stirred up like a hornets nest. Someone had to have called him personally on this one, since neither of them turned in their reports yet.

  “The media alerted us. They got a call.”

  Oh hell, that wasn’t good and explained his arrival.

  Detective Westmore shook her head. “Oh boy,” she
muttered, knowing what was coming.

  “Sir, it looks like a possibility,” answered Emma. She’d played the game long enough to know how to deal with an irate boss or a man out of control. After all, she was married to Greyson Croft- the king of momentary lapses.

  “Well it’s out of my hands now! The commissioner is already breathing down my neck. It’s the high season for tourists, and he doesn’t want this killer scaring away the cash flow to the city. You two are now on non-stop duty until this freak show is caught.”

  Emma didn't mind. She’d worked many priority cases before in Philly. It was a matter of just buckling down and taking care of business. Plus, with her husband away, she was bored out of her mind. There was only so much she could do alone at home in the fortress. “I’m in for the long haul, sir.”

  He spoke before turning to leave, “Oh, by the way Detectives, the commissioner took it upon himself to call in the Feds. Booker doesn’t want mass chaos and a free for all in the city.”

  Brynn said nothing as she fought valiantly not to look over at her partner.

  “Yes, sir.”

  Captain Ford stormed away and back to his vehicle.

  “I just got that sick feeling that this is going to get really ugly,” muttered Brynn.

  Emma simply nodded. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  * * *

  Greyson Croft was on his way back to his hotel when his cell phone began ringing. Pulling it from his pocket, he stared down at the caller ID. It was Gabe Rothschild.

  “Croft,” he said, answering the phone.

  “Director, we speak again,” stated Gabe, laughing.

  “So we do, Gabe. To what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, knowing his boss didn't call on his private cell for just any reason.

  “Where are you?”

  Croft looked around, wondering where the hell his boss thought he’d be at six at night. Meetings had concluded, and he was heading back to his room to call his wife and maybe have a rousing game of ‘dirty talk’ over the phone. “I’m in the car.”

  “Good. You need to stop at your hotel, grab your things, and get ready for a side trip.”

  The last thing he wanted was to tack on more time away from Emma. Damn it! He’d been in the clear too. “But what about the meetings?”

  Gabe laughed. “You’re being sprung. Something more pressing has come up, and you’re on your way back home.”

  His heart rate and blood pressure shot up. That meant making out with his wife sooner than he thought. There just may be a God after all.

  “You’re meeting up with your partner in Philly and jumping a transport back home. You arrive in Vegas tomorrow morning.”

  “Why?” So far, he was okay with everything his boss was saying, but now, he was curious.

  “They caught a serial killer case, and the police commissioner called in a favor to get the FBI involved. Apparently, you made such an impression last time that they specifically requested you.”

  Everything Gabe was saying still seemed fine, but he was getting that feeling in the back of his brain that something was brewing. He genuinely liked the commissioner. He and Booker had a really good working relationship. Last time, he’d caught a killer chasing down teenage girls in the city.

  “You’ll be meeting them at nine in the morning at their headquarters to hook up with the detective in charge of the case. You’ll be going in to assist and let your trainee get some more field experience.”

  Now, he was incredibly excited. This meant driving to work with his wife and maybe catching lunch together. This day was vastly better than it had been a few hours ago.

  “Maggie is sending you the information. As soon as the detectives get it to me, you’ll have it.”

  Croft was good with that. “Okay, Gabe.”

  “Oh, and Greyson?” he paused.

  It was rare for Gabe to ever call him by his first name. It was generally ‘Director’ or ‘Croft’. “Yeah?”

  “Keep it professional and above the regulations,” he stated. All the emotion was gone from his voice. It wasn’t that he didn't think that the man would, but there was always the possibility that things could go bad fast.

  “Huh? That seems like an odd statement, Gabe. I generally run everything by the book. So, why the warning?” He didn't understand where that comment had come from. When it came to work, he bled the FBI colors of blue and gold.

  “The detective in charge of the assignment is your wife.”

  It looked like he was going to get more than lunch with Emma. Greyson Croft was now her tag team partner.

  Hell yeah, his day just got a great deal brighter. Croft was going to be doing more than just catching up with Emma. They were going to be working side by side once again.

  * * *

  Detectives Croft and Westmore left the scene of the next murder to follow up on their first victim. They knew she’d be in good hands with their ME, and they wanted to start working some of the finer details of the case, hoping to catch a break.

  Pulling up in front of Sara Jensen’s apartment building, they began looking around. There was the possibility that she’d been abducted around her dwelling and taken to the scene. Most abductions happened within a quarter mile of a person’s home. It’s when people let down their guard and stopped seeing potential dangers.

  Maybe their victim had done just that. With a quick sweep of the perimeter of the building, there was no sign of blood, drag marks or anything suspicious.

  “If she was taken from here,” began Emma, “the killer is a magician. There’s no a trace of a struggle or a squashed blade of grass.”

  “Damn it! Why can’t they just leave a note?” teased Brynn. “It would make our jobs easier.”

  “Don’t I know it,” replied Emma, lifting her sunglasses from her face as they entered the building.

  Inside the main foyer, they paused to knock on a door that was labeled ‘superintendent’.

  The man answered almost immediately. As he ripped the door open, he snarled at the two women. “What do you two want?”

  Brynn was taken aback by his open hostility. “We’re here to talk to you about one of your tenants, a Sara Jensen.”

  The man stared up and down her body lecherously, his gaze then switching to the woman beside her. “Yeah, a two-fer. Did she send you both to take her place?”

  It was Emma’s turn to handle the man and already she had to admit, her interest was piqued at his words. “I’m sorry, can you explain?” In ‘Sin City’, tossing around sex wasn’t exactly an oddity. Vegas had pretty steep rent, and this man looked like he would use women anyway he could to his advantage.

  It looked like they just walked into their first lead. It was their lucky day.

  “She puts out, and I cut her a break on the rent. I tell the owner I replaced a few things and no one’s the wiser. Are you both the piece of ass she sent to take her place? I have to admit, she’s usually strung out, and it’s nice to have to lively ones.”

  “Oh, I’m pretty lively,” continued Emma. “How do you feel about handcuffs?”

  “Hey, baby, I love women who are into bondage,” he leered, licking his lips in anticipation.

  Brynn pulled her badge and flashed her gun as Emma pulled her handcuffs and let them dangle in front of the man’s shocked face from her one finger. “Great. We love cuffs too, and guess what? We get to go first. Turn around and place your hands behind your head.”

  The man looked aghast. “For what? I didn't touch you!”

  Detective Westmore looked over at her partner, wondering where she was taking it. Other than the man being a disgusting pig, he was one hundred percent right. You weren’t arrested in Vegas for being a perv. If that were the case, half the city would be in lock up.

  “You just solicited two officers. That’s what I heard anyway. How about you, Detective?” she asked her partner.

  Brynn laughed. “Yeah, it sounded like that to me too.”

  He protested. “Come on, ladies! What can
I do for you? Just ask me. This has all been a misunderstanding. I’m sure. I’d never think about compromising two of our city’s finest officers.”

  Emma crossed her arms and lifted a brow. “When I run your name, I’ll bet my shiny new vehicle that you have some priors for solicitation.”

  He swallowed and sweat beaded on his upper lip. “Seriously! What can I do to help you? Let’s work together on this.”

  The man was looking a little green.

  “We need you to escort us up to Sara Jensen’s apartment. You’re going to open the door and come back down here and wait for us. If we return and you’re gone, I’m going to hunt you down and make sure you sit in jail for a long time. Am I clear?” Emma threatened.

  He nodded, pulling his keys off his belt and racing towards her apartment. “Sure thing, Officers!”

  Brynn corrected him. “It’s Detectives. See the shiny gold shield? We’ve had to earn them.”

  “I got mine busting balls left and right,” offered Emma.

  Brynn grinned. “Me too! Hey, it’s like you’re my sister from another mother.”

  The man rushed up the stairs to the dead woman’s apartment. All he wanted was to let them in and escape before they made his life miserable.

  Both detectives followed, watching the man cautiously. He may be harmless, but in their line of work, good could go bad pretty fast.

  Reaching the door, he pushed it open and scurried away to go wait down in his place. He didn't believe for a second that the cops wouldn’t drag him down to the station.

  Just from the initial walk through of the victim’s apartment, there was no sign that anything sinister had occurred inside. The place was small, clean, and organized. It was obvious that the woman didn't have a lot of money, but she took pride in the things she did own.

  Separating, they each took an area to canvas. Slipping into gloves, they made sure to not touch too much in case the CSI’s had to come in and sweep.

  It didn't take long for Detective Westmore to locate something. “Emma!” she yelled from the other room.